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Abilene's Assistant City Manager James Childers heads to new job in Irving

Assistant City Manager James Childers is leaving Abilene for a new job as assistant city manager in Irving.

His last day in his current position is Jan. 5.

"James has given Abilene five solid years of service," said City Manager Robert Hanna. "We were blessed to have him as part of our team and our community."

"Irving is getting one of the finest young leaders in Texas local government," Hanna said.

Childers is part of a multigenerational legacy working for the city of Abilene. His father, Rickey Childers, also worked as assistant city manager here.

Childers said his own time as assistant city manager, and director of community services before that, "rounded me out as a professional."

"All the things I've learned and experienced in Abilene just put me in the position to be a viable candidate," Childers said Wednesday. "I've related a lot of the projects that I worked on here, and some of the challenges that I've faced, and it obviously made an impression."

The key role of communication, exemplified by a slew of public meetings during the summer about a proposed street maintenance fee, is a valuable lesson Childers said he has learned.

"You really just put yourself in the position to provide as much information as possible so people are properly informed so they can formulate their opinions," he said. "Going through that experience was great, it's one that I leveraged quite a bit because it's pretty fresh."

Childers said his personal motto when dealing with people and their concerns is: "I don't care if you're mad, I just want you to fully understand what you're mad about."

"I want you to be fully informed so you can communicate to the council what you think about certain things that we're planning," he said.

Childers grew up in Abilene and always had strong ties here.

“No matter where we lived, we always spent time in Abilene, because it’s where my dad was born and raised,” he said in a 2015 story about his promotion to assistant city manager. “Abilene has always been home.”

Childers said Wednesday that he and his dad "don't talk a lot of shop" when it comes to their shared profession.

But he did say that his dad was — and remains — his role-model and his hero.

"I still have images of him working here and seeing him putting on his tie in the morning and cooking his breakfast and going to city hall," he said. "Obviously, that made an impact on me way back when, and I'm doing it now."

Childers said that he was proud of his family's legacy in city government.

"I've said it once, I've said it again, I'm just trying to not screw it up," he said, with a laugh.

Childers attended Johnston and Taylor elementary schools.

After graduating from Midwestern State University in 2001, he went on to receive a master's degree in public administration from the University of North Texas in 2003.

He began his career in 2002, working as an administrative intern in the city manager's office in Denton. He worked for the city of Flower Mound, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as a human resource generalist and a budget intern.

Before coming to Abilene in October 2012, he worked as an assistant director in Dallas' code compliance services department.